Thursday, April 16, 2009

The Sparks' Family - happily smiling together ... so much better than years past when poor Caleb was oh...let's say from birth 'til 7 years...Caleb would scream his head off for any picture just as my nephew, Ethan, below who is 31 months decided to do for the first time ever.

The entire McCarty clan...Grammy - my mom, Pawpaw - my dad, my sister's family...Kimmy, Eric, Even, Ethan, my brother, Kevin with his good friend, Duke --- the only one missing is my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law who weren't able to go out of town for Easter this year.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don't need me to tell you what to do. You're God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You're already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it. Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Hawk Nelson's lead singer singing to our group of teen's who went with us to the concert. There is a boy with an orange/black/white baseball cap on - that's our pastor's son...Mauri is to his left the one with a pony tail (the third one to his left).

Last weekend so flew by...way too fast. Mauri went to a teen girl's retreat at Green Acres Baptist in Tyler, Texas by SAGE ministries. She had a great time. They left at 4:00 PM on Friday and returned around 9:00 PM Saturday. Then she had to be at church at 7:30 AM to practice for a sticks routine with Arise My Love. They did a great job. We went to early church to watch their performance, Sunday School, and left around 11:00 to eat lunch.

The crew (20 people: 5 adults and 15 students) left on the bus around 12:45 PM. We arrived at Centurytel Center at 2:10 PM, stood in line for 2 1/2 hours before the doors opened at 4:40 ish. We actually got to attend The Rock and Worship Roadshow Tour with Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, Hawk Nelson, Tenth Avenue North, and a new group called Sidewalk Prophets. Addison Road was suppose to be there but the lead singer went into labor two days before our concert so I guess they had a good excuse to miss. That is why the new band came in their place. The concert was suppose to start at 6:00 but started at 5:40 instead. That was awesome. It wasn't over until 9:15. It was only a $10.00 concert. That was incredible for such an awesome concert. I had a great time and I think the kids had an even greater time. I am in awe at how God continually speaks to me no matter where I go and what event I attend. This was so good for me.

The coolest part for the kids attending with us is when the lead singer of Hawk Nelson came to the floor, walked across 7 rows of seats, and sang to our kiddos. That was amazing. David got it on camera and Tim, our pastor's youngest son, got in on video using his camera. Hopefully, after Caleb works on the video with Tim, I'll be able to post it on the blog.

Caleb had the math TAKS test today. He was pretty nervous. He doesn't think he did well, but he hasn't on all of the practice math TAKS tests this year. So I'm hopeful and prayed up that God helped in pass the math TAKS for 8th grade. He has to pass all TAKS test to promote to high school, so he is nervous about the testing. He already passed the reading TAKS and was commended with only missing two. Praise the Lord! He only has social studies and science TAKS left for this year.

We got Mauri's prom pics from the lady last night who took her pics downtown in Texarkana. That was great. I so enjoy looking at them. She is such a beautiful girl inside and out.

Mauri and Caleb both had friends over last night. Tonight though not at all -- too much homework. Mauri is working on her English IV research paper due Thursday night. Caleb has chapter 8 of his 8th grade English paper due tomorrow so he's been writing or editing his favorite education, a poem to about vacations, as well as had to locate and print out pics from his favorite vacation. He also has his 2nd presidents paper due next week so he had to work on that with dad tonight too. He also had to correct a science paper. I think they are both a little overwhelmed with classwork tonight to say the least.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Isaiah 41:13 NIVFor I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.

Isaiah 49:16 NIVSee, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Proverbs 24:3A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense.

Philipians 4:9 ESVWhat you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 1:4 NLTHe comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we can give them the same comfort God has given us.

Jeremiah 32:7 KJVBehold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?

Colossians 1:17 NIVHe is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Ephesians 3:14-19 NLTWhen I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

1 Peter 4:12-13 NIVDear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Psalm 121:5-6The Lord watches over you - The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

Psalms 51:10-12 HCSBGod, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me, Restore the joy of Your Salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit.

Isaiah 41:9b-10I said, You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

John 14:27 NIVPeace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.

Galatians 6:11 NIVSee what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 MSGRegarding life together and getting along with each other, you don't need me to tell you what to do. You're God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You're already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it. Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.

John 8:31-32 MSGThen Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. "If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you."

Romans 15:13 HCSBNow may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Zephaniah 3:17-18 MSGJerusalem will be told: "Don't be afraid. Dear Zion, don't despair. Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, he'll calm you with his love and delight you with his songs. "The accumulated sorrows of your exile will dissipate. I, your God, will get rid of them for you. You've carried those burdens long enough. At the same time, I'll get rid of all those who've made your life miserable. I'll heal the maimed; I'll bring home the homeless. In the very countries where they were hated they will be venerated. On Judgment Day I'll bring you back home—a great family gathering! You'll be famous and honored all over the world. You'll see it with your own eyes—all those painful partings turned into reunions!" God's Promise.

1 Corinthians 6:12 MSGJust because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims.

Psalm 4:8 NIVI will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Hebrews 12:1-17 MSGDo you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?

My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. So don't sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it! Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you'll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God's generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.

1 Peter 5:6-11 MSGSo be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. He Gets the Last WordKeep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

Philippians 4:4 MSGCelebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

1 Chronicles 28:9And you, my son Solomon (Caleb), acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

I haven't ever really kept up with American Idol since Mandisa days. It has definitely been a long time since that season. But, tonight I was halfway listening to it with David while selecting my 7th memory verse for 2009 when David Cook came on...and oh my goodness. His latest release is so my theme song for my husband.

Artist: David Cook Song: Come Back To Me

You say you gotta go and find yourself You say that you're becoming someone else Don't recognize the face in the mirror Looking back at you

You say you're leavin As you look away I know theres really nothin left to say Just know i'm here Whenever you need me I'll wait for you

So i'll let you go I'll set you free And when you see what you need to see When you find you come back to me

Take your time i wont go anywhere Picture you with the wind in your hair I'll keep your things right where you left them I'll be here for you

Oh and i'll let you go I'll set you free And when you see what you need to see When you find you come back to me

And i hope you find everything that you need I'll be right here waiting to see You find you come back to me

I can't get close if your not there I can't get inside if theres no soul to bear I can't fix you i can't save you Its something you have to do

So i'll let you go I'll set you free And when you see what you need to see When you find you come back to me Come back to me

So i'll let you go I'll set you free And when you see what you need to see When you find you come back to me

And i hope you find everything that you need I'll be right here waiting to see You find you come back to me

When you find you come back to me When you find you come back to me When you find you come back to me

This is exactly what I've been needing to say to David, but I didn't have the words to say. I am so grateful God allowed me to hear this song. Even though David isn't "truly" leaving I think he has in many aspects. He's just not the man I've known for the last 25 years. I know he has to do all that he is doing to "find" himself. I just pray when he has found himself, he'll still want to be right here with us and finally comfortable in our home once again.

I also think this is a song God has sung to me throughout my life. God lets us go and He is waiting with open arms to hold us and state we've been inscribed in the palm of HIS hands all along. I am in awe of how God has allowed this secular song to speak to me and ease my heart from so much pain. God has also allowed Angie from Bring the Rain blog at http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2009/03/canvas.html to speak to me today with her "Canvas" post. I love how God continually speaks to me and how He is overflowing me with blessings at this time.

Forget the things that happened in the past. Do not keep on thinking about them. I am about to do something new. It is beginning to happen even now. Don't you see it coming? I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert. I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land.

Thank you God for leading to this verse. I need it more than ever before.

About Me

I am a wife to David and a mom to Mauri and Caleb. My husband and I met in junior high, became friends our junior year in high school, and began dating November 29, 1985 during our senior year. We were engaged July of 1989 in Glorietta, New Mexico and married on August 4, 1990. Our first born is Mauri who is a sophomore at Ouachita Baptist University. Our second child is our son, Caleb. He is a sophomore in high school who is the newest driver in our family. Our children are the highlights of our life. God has blessed us with two of the most God loving teenagers I know.